Creative frosting flavors for a chocolate layer cake?

Question

I've been assigned the task of making a birthday cake for a close relative in a couple weeks and have been given pretty sparse, yet specific instructions.

(1) It should be a chocolate cake.
(2) No chocolate on chocolate
(3) No nuts with the chocolate (dislikes them, not allergic)
(4) Doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate
(5) Does like mint & chocolate and strawberries with chocolate

I'm thinking of using the Hershey's Black Magic cake recipe since I don't have a stand-by of my own ... yet. ;-) I'm looking for suggestions for fillings and frosting flavors/types that might compliment the chocolate. I'm thinking of something like an espresso buttercream or maybe a caramel whipped cream frosting. Also playing around with the idea of a strawberry or rasberry puree filling.

Any thoughts/suggestions/recipes/pictures would be fantastic! I want it to be something that I can frost up nicely and make it special for his birthday. So something that has the potential "wow factor" would be great.

Thanks so much!!

Answer

My favorites, in no particular order, are peanut butter, mint, and rum. The PB is obviously out. It sounds like you're going for a more elegant presentation here so I wouldn't do the mint. I love the combination but the times I've done it I've ended up with something more like mint chocolate chip ice cream. Not a bad thing at all, but it doesn't sound like the effect you're aiming for. 

A rum buttercream - and I absolutely prefer a real buttercream made with an Italian meringue base - gives you a beautiful white color for contrast and lets you use a fruit puree for the center. You could then decorate with chocolate curls or drizzled melted chocolate.

Answer

I've done an awesome raspberry cream cheese frosting that was lovely with chocolate, and amped it up a bit by spreading some raspberry preserves on the layers. The frosting was very workable and made a gorgeous presentation. I also adore orange and chocolate, so that may be worth looking into.

Gourmet or Bon Appetit right now has a peppermint chocolate cake on the cover. It is certainly festive for this time of year.

Are nut flavors okay? I'm thinking a Nutella frosting would be killer, or perhaps an amaretto flavor?

Answer

Use dulce de leche and a little cream cheese for the filing. Then make a cream cheese frosting for the frosting but add dulce de leche to that, too. You could also use mascarpone cheese for added richness, less cream cheese taste.

You could also do a mint buttercream.

http://chockylit.blogspot.com/2006/03/rich-chocolate-cupcakes-filled-with.html

Answer

I've always wanted to try this recipe for carmelized bananas and penuche icing...which I think would be delicious with chocolate cake... http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2008/02/02/day-33-take-out-sushi-and-caramelized-banana-spice-cake-with-penuche-icing/

Answer

How about a coffee buttercream? Just use a standard vanilla buttercream recipe (milk, 10x sugar and butter), but use a mixture of half milk/half coffee and add a teaspoon or two of ground coffee. Tastes like coffee ice cream.

Strawberry buttercream is quite easy too. Use the same vanilla buttercream recipe but substitute strawberry puree for the milk.

Answer

Blow their minds with Ginger and Wasabi! I make a Black Pearl cake, that features a ginger/simple syrup poured over the layered cakes and being absorbed. Then for the ganache between layers and as frosting, add about 2 tablespoons of wasabi powder. Guaranteed you will not taste wasabi, but you will notice the enhanced "chocolatiness"

Answer

I recently used Hershey' Special dark Cocoa to make the cake on the back of the container and I made an orange buttercream using only the zest of a naval orange and (believe it or not) and eight of a tsp of LEMON EXTRACT which really made the citrus sing. I have never made a cake that was so elegant and decadent! I also used heavy whipping cream when i made the buttercream. I am definitely an amateur but my love of cooking and baking shines thru (so I'm told). Love you foodies!! Good luck!

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Creative frosting flavors for a chocolate layer cake?

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